From December 16th until Christmas Eve, the streets of Gernika witness the songs of the “Marijeses,” a large choral group that during the nine nights before Christmas make their way through the streets of the town for two hours singing old songs in Basque.

The tradition dates from the 16th century, most likely from the old Basque Medieval Christmas plays. The songs deal with three distinct subjects: Joy, song, and good food, overarching themes of what Christmas represents to the Basque people. Although in its beginnings the 50-member group was exclusively male, women started being included in the tradition around 1982, and currently comprise half of the “marijeses.”